Rumor: Tungsten E2 Specs

[Reggie]

An anonymous source sent us the following specs of the upcoming Tungsten E2 which should be announced soon. [details (http://www.1src.com/?m=show&id=941)]

[Jeff Kirvin]

Add the Athena connector found on the T5 and Treo 650, and I'd say this is spot on. I don't think we'll see another PalmOne device without NVFS, btw.

[jjesusfreak01]

Add the Athena connector found on the T5 and Treo 650, and I'd say this is spot on. I don't think we'll see another PalmOne device without NVFS, btw.
Fine if they can get NVFS to work right, and fast.

[Antoine]

Sounds abuot right. Other model most probably a Zire and then something bigger coming in May according to the last call (according to all the sites that were there). Not a large model turn over, but nice.

[Reggie]

According to the latest Treo 650 Sprint update, they've fixed the memory issue already.

I guess, all new models will now have Bluetooth built in.

[daver]

from the specs, looks like this model's a good one for starting up PDA users. not too many features to bog you down, but not stripped down from some of the fancy stuff. however, i was thinking they'd put in a full 320x480 screen. maybe the other model they're releasing will have that.

[EdFrmBrighthand]

A few months ago, the FCC accidentally posted for a brief time some information on the Tungsten E2.

Like its predecessor, the E2 will have a 320-by-320-pixel (hi-res) display, not the 320-by-480-pixel display many were hoping it would have. Still, this will offer 18-bit color, better than the 16-bit color screen on the original E.

A significant improvement in the E2 will be the inclusion of Bluetooth 1.1 short-range wireless networking.

In addition, the Tungsten E2 will use the same connector as the palmOne other new models, the Tungsten T5 and the Treo 650.

Reggie said:
It will still look similar to the Tungsten E. We hope to post a pic soon.
You can find the picture of the E2 here (http://www.brighthand.com/articles/pictures.php?imageURL=palmOne_E2_FCC_1_L.jpg&imageTitle=Tungsten%20E2&leadAdVar=Palm&largeAdVar=Palm).
.

[eric2002]

ho-hum, i am getting sleepy.....

[JAmerican]

Why is Palm still developing 320x320 screen devices. People want long screens for spreadsheets, viewing emails. E2 is a downgrade from the T5 most definately.

JAmerican

[poissonsouriant]

Why is Palm still developing 320x320 screen devices. People want long screens for spreadsheets, viewing emails. E2 is a downgrade from the T5 most definately.

Yes, but it's not intended to be an upgrade to the T5, it's intended to be an upgrade to the E. Which it does seem to be.

[PDADiddy]

uh, what poisson-bender said...

After all it's called the E2 not the T5-2.

Yes, but it's not intended to be an upgrade to the T5, it's intended to be an upgrade to the E.

Peace,

[The Mad Dog]

the T5 had to be the t|E2 !!
The T5 had to have Cobalt, but in October it was much too buggy and PalmOne had to release a new model. So they took the new T|E2 as the T|T5.

The other (trusted):
- 4 Gigabyte Microdrive
- Bluetooth
- WLAN
- 320x480 colordisplay
- Multiconnector

[bean]

you know...maybe 1-2 years ago palm signed an agreement with blackberry to integrate the blackberry always-connect into palms. i am a heavy palm user but refuse to have my phone and palm as one unit. when oh when oh when is palm coming out with a t/t that has everything i want????????

[Jeff Kirvin]

ho-hum, i am getting sleepy.....
I'd point out that the E2 really isn't meant for you. Really, most of PalmOne's entire line isn't meant for the kind of enthusiasts that read 1SRC. I would point this out, but I've been over the "PalmOne doesn't give a toasted damn about geeks" thing so many times that even I'm tired of it.

If you don't like the E2, by all means, don't buy one.

[Jeff Kirvin]

you know...maybe 1-2 years ago palm signed an agreement with blackberry to integrate the blackberry always-connect into palms. i am a heavy palm user but refuse to have my phone and palm as one unit. when oh when oh when is palm coming out with a t/t that has everything i want????????
Everything you want? Probably never. PalmOne doesn't make "Swiss Army Knife" PDAs.

As for the Blackberry Connect thing, it's coming. Look for an update to the Treo.

[GadgetGuru]

Now the specs of this one sounds credible. With the only major improvement being the faster processor...but since Garnet 5.4 no longer allows G1 without purchasing third-party solutions, I don't think I will upgrade...

[Jeff Kirvin]

Speaking as a southpaw who not only had to learn Graffiti 2 but also had to learn to cross Ts left to right, I have to say it's really quite nice once you get used to it. I've written an entire novella in Graffiti 1 on a Visor, so I'm certainly no stranger to it, but Graffiti 2 has some charms of its own.

Neither holds a candle to Fitaly, of course.

[Laci_Elements]

One of the upgrades I would like to see is the elimination of the screen whine its a little thing but I would like for it to go away :D

[fssia]

Another improvement is to make sure that their future Palm handheld devices will never have digitizer issues ever again! The digitizer issue on my T|E is most likely a hardware problem! :mad:

[Wolfgard]

One of the upgrades I would like to see is the elimination of the screen whine its a little thing but I would like for it to go away

Please! No more screen whine! I won't buy another P1 device till they fix that problem. And yeah, no digitizer issues too.

[clicclic]

PalmOne is too late to the Microsoft Exchange/biz world party. RIM cleaned their clock in 2004.

My brother in Law owns a huge car dealership. I watched him move from a cell phone to a Nextel (pushtotalk) to a RIM in 2004. He's now reading email and viewing spreadsheets on the RIM/phone. This is a guy who knows nothing about wireless/connectivity.

PO and HP also blew the game segment in 2004! Now the PSP is out and is it sexy sleek (and WiFi). I still love my NX70 but honestly, if something's not connected there's just no market for it any more.

[wshwe]

Another mediocre product from P1. No wonder RIM is cleaning P1's clock. P1 had better watch out for Nintendo. No telling what Nintendo will do with their Palm OS license.

[Selachii]

How predictable, how boring :/
I guess palmOne's business policy is gonna remain 'play it safe' instead of inovative pioneering and such :( *boo*

(yes that it an ungrounded short troll of a post, I guess it could be the same discussion as this one (http://www.1src.com/forums/showthread.php?t=82731), where I did post my entire thoughts.)

[javabird]

Please! No more screen whine! I won't buy another P1 device till they fix that problem. And yeah, no digitizer issues too.

What is screen whine?

[ballistic]

What is screen whine?

Armchair analysts complaining about every new P1 model and predicting the death of PalmOne/Source in every Palm related forum they can find?

[Wolfgard]

What is screen whine?

Something you hear when you find out your device isn't as good as what P1 advertised. :p

j/k. The screen whine is a problem common with the newer P1 devices like the T|3 and the Zire 72. It's a high pitch noise emitted by the digitizer from what I've heard. My ol' z72 had this issue and it's maddening to hear it when you're reading in a quiet room.

[ballistic]

Something you hear when you find out your device isn't as good as what P1 advertised. :p

j/k. The screen whine is a problem common with the newer P1 devices like the T|3 and the Zire 72. It's a high pitch noise emitted by the digitizer from what I've heard. My ol' z72 had this issue and it's maddening to hear it when you're reading in a quiet room.

Is it caused by the digitizer or the backlighting? My Newton MP2100 has a very noticable screen whine caused by the backlighting, and it's a very common and well known issue with that model.

Brian

[Athradon]

The 'screen whine' problem has been affecting all recent P1 models. Sometime between the release of the T|T3 and the end of its product lifespan, P1 switched to cheaper screens (from Sony to Sharp, I believe), which were slightly dimmer and had a high-pitch whine. The early model-run T3 I bought was fine, but the 2nd through 4th replacements I had to get used the cheaper screens. After exchanging my 4th T3 for a T|C, and finding the T|C's screen also had the problem, I picked up a Clie TJ37 and have had no problems. Until P1 starts using quality screens again, I'm done with their products altogether.

[javabird]

I'm glad to learn about this. Does the T|E have this problem?

I was thinking about upgrading from my SJ-22 to a T|E (for the ability to listen to mp3's).

[AnyMal]

Seriously, why in the world is this mad push for Bluetooth. First Dell, and now Palm are moving towards including Bluetooth radios as standard, while negating wi-fi to the most expensive models. Not to mention that you can't even get wi-fi for T|E, unless you buy a ridiculously overpriced "jacket" that costs almost as much as PDA itself. And those units that do support wi-fi will only work with P1's proprietory $130.00 SDIO card, but won't work with third party cards. WTF P1??$%^$&$&^*(

[Alsicole]

The 'screen whine' problem has been affecting all recent P1 models.

It might be said to affect all models, but it does NOT affect all units. I had a whining T2, but both of my recent units (Zire 72 and T5) are both silent.

[Athradon]

I'm glad to learn about this. Does the T|E have this problem?

Unfortunately, I've heard on these forums that the T|E does have the problem, at least with current production runs. I got a new T|E when it came out (and returned it the next day, because the included flip cover made large gouge in the front of the case), and it didn't have any screen problems. The same thing that happened with the T|T3's screens probably happened with the T|E.

[fssia]

@ javabird: I upgraded from SJ33 to T|E and I regretted it in less than 6 mths. The screen whine is terrible. It whines whenever it's power on. And then I realised I have digitizer issue which can't be corrected using any s/w. So I bought a TH55 from eXpansys.com. My 2 cents: If you can get your hands on a CLIE, don't go for a P1 device.

[Antoine]

Just a note:
The screen whine is caused by the sound that the screen makes when put too close to a plastic digitizer. Granted, plastic is good when you are in the habit of dropping a device, but not so much in the case of screen whine. The only two soltuons have been to set something extremly thin in between the LCD and digitizer, or to get a replacement digitizer that is made of glass.

As for the TE, some have had that issue and some not. I have a TE that can get really bad at times, and other times not be bad. My T5 on the other hand only does it when I have an application running that uses a good deal of the screen. Neither of which annoyed me to the point of giving up the devices and I do have quite sensitive ears. If it is something that would bother you, going with a Clie may be a better option.

As for the TE2, chances are it will have a plastic digitizer as does the current TE. If palmOne makes a change in the distance between the LCD and digitizer then that buzz wont happen; if not, then it will. No real need to complain about it. It was a case of cutting costs and making a more durble device or making a nice device that would be faster to break when it was dropped (know that most people dont go out and buy cases they just use the included ones).

[Kitten]

Clie's whine too! My SJ22 never whined but my UX50 does. My fiance's T|E doesn't have a whine at all. It seems to be luck of the draw.

[fssia]

I've 3 CLIEs and 1 T|E and none of my CLIEs whine or whined. And when u search the forums, u will see more ppl complain abt P1 devices having screen whines than Clies, so don't think it can be said that it's down to luck. It just seems that P1 has some serious issues that need to be overcome to make their devices as perfect as can be.

I'm in the lab line and I heard abt ISO standards, quality control & etc all the time, so I think it's pretty unacceptable for P1 to have so many devices with screen whine and digitizer issue.

Btw, before I got my own, I have played with my colleague's T|E. I never noticed the screen whine then. U need to have it with u all the time, use it all the time to realise it does buzz. So may be if u use ur fiancee's T|E for a day or 2, u may notice it. Just a thought. ;) If hers really doesn't have any screen whine, then she is really lucky!

[Kitten]

A lot of UX owners have the whine. He noticed my screen whine way before I did! His T|E is happily whine free. So, I guess we are lucky.

[Truth]

there are 2 displays PalmOne used(uses):

Sony Supplied Screen - stagelights - vivid, crisp color but with inevitable whine and digitizer drift.

Sharp Supplied Screen - no stagelights - dull color but with NO whine and digitizer drift.

choose your poison!

[Kitten]

The Sharp screen is what's in some of the UX's that whine. I'm not sure what the real answer is, but Antoine's got it right with his solutions.

[fssia]

A lot of UX owners have the whine. He noticed my screen whine way before I did! His T|E is happily whine free. So, I guess we are lucky.Oops! I naturally assumed that you're a man and your fiancee a woman. Sorry abt the hiccups! :o

[BBB]

exterior design by "deja vu"?

[EdFrmBrighthand]

Seriously, why in the world is this mad push for Bluetooth. First Dell, and now Palm are moving towards including Bluetooth radios as standard, while negating wi-fi to the most expensive models.
It's a simple matter of economics. Wi-Fi hardware is more expensive than Bluetooth hardware.

This is the same reason we aren't likely to see a 320-by-480-pixel screen on a $200 handheld for a while. Look on the bright side, though ; many Pocket PCs still use a 320-by-240-pixel (QVGA) display, and HP is about to come out with an iPAQ that has only a 240-by-240-pixel display.

[AnyMal]

It's a simple matter of economics. Wi-Fi hardware is more expensive than Bluetooth hardware.

This is the same reason we aren't likely to see a 320-by-480-pixel screen on a $200 handheld for a while. Look on the bright side, though ; many Pocket PCs still use a 320-by-240-pixel (QVGA) display, and HP is about to come out with an iPAQ that has only a 240-by-240-pixel display.
That may be true, I can not argue the cost difference of Bluetooth vs wi-fi. I do ,however, can argue that excluding T|E from ABILITY to use ANY (not just non-propriatory) wi-fi options (sans the said wi-fi "jacket) is a poor decision on P1's part. I would gladly forgo Bluetooth for a saving of even $10.00 off my PDA or would overlook any savings whatsover just for the ability to use any third-party SDIO wi-fi card. As for the screen size, personally I find 320x320 adequate for most PIM functions.

[Joel]

Accessories! PalmAddict has posted links (http://palmaddict.typepad.com/palmaddicts/2005/03/te2_and_zire73_.html) to what could be accessories for the Tungsten E2 and Zire 73.

[Antoine]

Those accessories are intersting. The more interesting part is that they show the Z73 with a full HVGA screening going on. Koolbeans. The pics are all faked though.

BT is a good idea for those people who do not need wifi. truth be told there are more people who want to use wifi but until whole cities get it together, devices with wifi that are accessable to all who want it will not be an issue. BT is a bit more prevelant since more and more people have to have cell phones with headsets. Many people are figuring out that they dont want wires, hence BT. If you then have a BT phone then chances are that you would like to do more with BT if you knew you could. Kool, sell a PDA that can get online via this BT and that will give me a better experience online than a phone and people are sold. It is economics on that scale.

[EdFrmBrighthand]

Reggie said:
It will still look similar to the Tungsten E. We hope to post a pic soon.
Based on the FCC picture, the Tungsten E2 will look pretty much like this.

http://www.brighthand.com/images/palmOne_E2_Fake.jpg

NOTE: This picture is a fake. Fake, fake, fake. I made it myself. It's just a Tungsten E with the new name and palmOne logo. This is NOT a leaked picture of the new device.

p.s. Nevertheless, I still expect to see it posted on the Web as a real picture.

[Antoine]

Probably quite accurate Edfrom BH. But to make it jucy you have to have a dialogue box that says Send via BT; then we can post it everywhere ;)

[Lance]

Of course, TE2 could be a different color as to differentiate it from the TE. Typically, there has been something visually different between devices even if only an incremental update (ex., T, T2, T3, etc.). Just a thought...

Take care,
Lance

[Jeff Kirvin]

Seriously, why in the world is this mad push for Bluetooth. First Dell, and now Palm are moving towards including Bluetooth radios as standard, while negating wi-fi to the most expensive models. Not to mention that you can't even get wi-fi for T|E, unless you buy a ridiculously overpriced "jacket" that costs almost as much as PDA itself. And those units that do support wi-fi will only work with P1's proprietory $130.00 SDIO card, but won't work with third party cards. WTF P1??$%^$&$&^*(
That's because Bluetooth is ultimately more useful. You can use it to connect to the internet via a BT phone (anywhere, not limited to hotspots), plus you can use it to connect to GPS units, keyboards, etc.

If I could only have one, I'd much rather have BT than WiFi. As it happens, I can add the card to my T5 and have both, if I want.

[jjesusfreak01]

That's because Bluetooth is ultimately more useful. You can use it to connect to the internet via a BT phone (anywhere, not limited to hotspots), plus you can use it to connect to GPS units, keyboards, etc.

If I could only have one, I'd much rather have BT than WiFi. As it happens, I can add the card to my T5 and have both, if I want.
I would never sacrifice BT for WiFi, though I my next device will most certainly have both. I can use WiFi networks at both my home and my school, the only places I need it, and at my home at least, its much faster than any BT connection I could hopeto acheive.

[jjesusfreak01]

there are 2 displays PalmOne used(uses):

Sony Supplied Screen - stagelights - vivid, crisp color but with inevitable whine and digitizer drift.

Sharp Supplied Screen - no stagelights - dull color but with NO whine and digitizer drift.

choose your poison!
And then theres the screen TH-55s are equipped with. It has no stagelights, but is clearer than both. Only comparable in clarity to the VZ-90 screen, which is OLED.

[edeab220]

there are 2 displays PalmOne used(uses):

Sony Supplied Screen - stagelights - vivid, crisp color but with inevitable whine and digitizer drift.

Sharp Supplied Screen - no stagelights - dull color but with NO whine and digitizer drift.

choose your poison! heh...my T|T3 has a screen w/ no stagelights, no digitizer drift, dull color, but whines like crazy! I wonder who makes my screen :p

[AnyMal]

That's because Bluetooth is ultimately more useful. You can use it to connect to the internet via a BT phone (anywhere, not limited to hotspots), plus you can use it to connect to GPS units, keyboards, etc.

If I could only have one, I'd much rather have BT than WiFi. As it happens, I can add the card to my T5 and have both, if I want.
Well, at least for now BT is a "niche" technology . First of, what is the percentage of BT equipped phones? I'll go on a limb and will guess that no more then 20%. Then there's the wireless web access; the only company I know of that makes a BT access point is Belkin and it is somewhere in the $100.00 range, whereas a wi-fi AP can be had for less then $20.00 How many hotspots do you know of that offer wireless net connection via BT? I am not aware of any, though I'll admit that I havn't looked for one either.

Please don't get me wrong, I am not denying the versatility and potential of BT, that is not my point. My "beef" with P1 is that they are denying Palm users the same choices available to virtually all PPC users, that is the ability to expand their handheld with less expensive third-party options. Sure, T3, T5, Zire 72 can all be equipped with P1's SDIO wi-fi cards, but don't you think that locking out third party vendors and forcing P1 customers to pay $129.00 for a "simple" wi-fi card is at least somewhat "inconsiderate" of their customers?

[javabird]

@ javabird: I upgraded from SJ33 to T|E and I regretted it in less than 6 mths. The screen whine is terrible. It whines whenever it's power on. And then I realised I have digitizer issue which can't be corrected using any s/w. So I bought a TH55 from eXpansys.com. My 2 cents: If you can get your hands on a CLIE, don't go for a P1 device.

Thanks for the advice. I guess having a CLIE has spoiled me. I like my SJ-22, except for it's poor sound. But now the battery life is starting to decrease, so I would rather upgrade my device than buy a new battery.

I'm tempted to get an ipod :)

[fssia]

@javabird, you are most welcome! If someone was telling me abt the screen whine & digitizer drift that need hardware fix before I get my T|E, I'd have saved ~ SG$400. :mad:

Btw, if the reason you wanna upgrade is just cuz you wanna be able to listen to music, may be getting an iPod is the better solution. But if you wanna upgrade to an OS 5 device that can also play mp3/ wav (if u have pTunes), then I will recommend TH55. ;)

If you wanna take a chance, may be you could try out T|E, T5 or wait for T|E2. But I know I certainly won't go that way until they fix their digitizer drift & screen whine. Reason being I live in a country with no P1 branch or service centre. So if something is faulty with my P1 devices, I will have to fly to S'pore to get it fixed & airfare ain't cheap! :(

[Gekko]

another weak, underwhelming product from palmone.

"You can fool all the people some of the time and some of the people all of the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all of the time."

[Antoine]

That depends on a few things Gekko. If one is counting on the fact that people actually like the BT implementation on WinMob devices, then the TE2 will look quite bad. But if palmOne can continue to make it a three tap process to get setup and less than that to get on and off, then maybe people will finally like BT in a handheld.

Better battery life is always a good thing. And I for one like the NAND mem if for no reason other than that people who just get lazy about charging their cell phone will be even worse about a PDA. Preventitive medicine is better than retraining people how to eat in this case.

But really, if anyone is in the house of Gekko, check out those rumors of the Life Drive. That seems to be up everyone's alley.
[no offense meant to ya Gekko, your opinoins are well informed and usually look more towards half empty than half full, but you never fail to make solid points]

[cybrnetico]

the T|E2 sounds good. I almost got a T|E to replace my T-665, but hold off. The T|E2 sounds like better deal and easy on the pocket (i Hope )

[fssia]

There are pictures of it & the Palm Life Drive on Mobile Review. So it is not a rumour after all! Oh my friend will be gutted cuz he just got a T|E last month!!!

[cybrnetico]

fssia just cover your friends ears when he hears about the T|E2 LOL

[fssia]

My best friend, his wife may get jealous though! LOL